When Your Neighborhood Changes You
How three Twin Cities churches have adjusted to reach their rapidly changing community.
Brett Lawrence
April 1, 2003
Since 1990, Minneapolis and St. Paul have seen a massive influx of refugees. The Twin Cities metro area boasts the largest Hmong, Somali, and Oromo (Ethiopian) populations in the United States and the second largest Tibetan and Liberian concentrations. The University of Minnesota is home to the largest Chinese student population in the country, and the cities were the eighth-fastest growing Hispanic area in the country during the 1990s. All this adds up to nearly half a million internationals, speaking more than 136 different languages. And the church is responding, with 309 churches planted in the past three years, a pace of one new church every three days. And more churches are taking seriously the need to demonstrate the love of Christ in their communities. There's "Church at Champps," a ministry of Wooddale Church that meets at a popular sports bar and grill. Its unconventional setting is drawing an unconventional crowd. In addition, more than a dozen postmodern churches are meeting across the region. Ethnic churches are popping up, and Hispanic, African-American, and Anglo churches are reaching out across ethnic barriers. With nearly 2,600 churches in the Twin Cities metro area, we can offer just a glimpse of what's happening as congregations are ministering to their changing community. The urban-suburban link
When Roland J. Wells, Jr., arrived in 1988 as pastor of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, in the shadow of downtown Minneapolis, he found himself in a quandary. Wells and his wife opted to purchase a home in Roseville, a first-ring suburb adjacent to both Minneapolis and St. Paul, which put him 15 minutes from his church. It also put him at odds with the prevailing urban-ministry philosophy: live in the city, minister ...
Other Community Impact Articles
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Interview with Bishop Vaughn McLaughlin
Leadership Journal, Spring 2003
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